THE TAKHTEH NARD OF EXILE

Amir grew up with his friend Ahmed in the working-class neighborhoods of southern Tehran. The tyranny of the Islamic Revolution drove them into exile. In 1980, in the midst of the war against Iraq, they left Iran on foot across the Turkish border, risking their lives. Separated from Ahmed, Amir continues his journey toward freedom alone, carrying nothing but the backgammon set he received for his twentieth birthday. Obsessed with “takhteh” since childhood, this prodigy of the ancient game descends into the hellish spiral of money, from gambling circles to casinos, from Istanbul to Paris, where he settles.The pain of exile, gambling addiction, life’s trials—everything is chaos until the day…